Endpoints; August 2001; Scientific American Magazine; by Staff Editors; 1 Page(s)

Metallurgical engineer Michael L. Free of the University of Utah offers this explanation: Because of its durability and aesthetic appeal, stainless steel is used in a wide variety of products, ranging from eating utensils to bank vaults to kitchen sinks. This form of steel remains stainless, or does not rust, because of the interaction between its alloying elements and the environment. Stainless steel contains iron, chromium, manganese, silicon, carbon and, in many cases, significant amounts of nickel and molybdenum. These elements react with oxygen from water and air to produce a very thin, stable film that consists of such corrosion products as metal oxides and hydroxides. Chromium plays a dominant role in reacting with oxygen to form this film. In fact, all stainless steels by definition contain at least 10 percent chromium.

This stable film prevents additional corrosion by acting as a barrier that limits the access of oxygen and water to the underlying metal surface. Because the film forms so readily and tightly, even just a few atomic layers of the material reduce the rate of corrosion to very low levels. The film is much thinner than the wavelength of visible light, and so it is difficult to see without the aid of modern instruments. Thus, although the steel is in fact corroded at the atomic level, it appears stainless to the unaided eye. Common inexpensive steel, in contrast, reacts with oxygen from water to form a relatively unstable iron oxide/hydroxide film that continues to grow with time and exposure to water and air. As such, this film, otherwise known as rust, achieves sufficient thickness to be easily observable soon after exposure to water and air.